DFD

Wow. Beautiful stuff. I love how clean it all looks. You managed to get modern tech in an older car without making it look like a Pep Boys install from 2006.

MrH42 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 9:51 am Wow. Beautiful stuff. I love how clean it all looks. You managed to get modern tech in an older car without making it look like a Pep Boys install from 2006.

Seriously! This thing just gets more with every update.

MrH42 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 9:51 am Wow. Beautiful stuff. I love how clean it all looks. You managed to get modern tech in an older car without making it look like a Pep Boys install from 2006.

Thanks.

The previous install was all sorts of hot garbage. I should have taken more pictures, but the installer stripped insulation away in the middle of the factory wire, soldered the Pioneer wiring to that, and then covered it with electrical tape. So, I cut all of that nonsense out and crimped on new terminal ends. It isn't exactly hard or all that expensive to make wiring look clean. That Molex 8-pin connector was all of $15 with the pins.

Huckleberry wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 10:43 am

MrH42 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 9:51 am Wow. Beautiful stuff. I love how clean it all looks. You managed to get modern tech in an older car without making it look like a Pep Boys install from 2006.

Thanks.

The previous install was all sorts of hot garbage. I should have taken more pictures, but the installer stripped insulation away in the middle of the factory wire, soldered the Pioneer wiring to that, and then covered it with electrical tape. So, I cut all of that nonsense out and crimped on new terminal ends. It isn't exactly hard or all that expensive to make wiring look clean. That Molex 8-pin connector was all of $15 with the pins.

I hate corner cutting like this, it's not even hard to even that expensive to do it the right way.

Detroit wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 2:34 pm

Huckleberry wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 10:43 am

Thanks.

The previous install was all sorts of hot garbage. I should have taken more pictures, but the installer stripped insulation away in the middle of the factory wire, soldered the Pioneer wiring to that, and then covered it with electrical tape. So, I cut all of that nonsense out and crimped on new terminal ends. It isn't exactly hard or all that expensive to make wiring look clean. That Molex 8-pin connector was all of $15 with the pins.

I hate corner cutting like this, it's not even hard to even that expensive to do it the right way.

I was honestly amazed that they even bothered to solder and didn't just hit up the bin of these bad boys:

Huckleberry wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 3:02 pm

Detroit wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 2:34 pm
I hate corner cutting like this, it's not even hard to even that expensive to do it the right way.

I was honestly amazed that they even bothered to solder and didn't just hit up the bin of these bad boys:

Oh man.

[user not found] wrote: ↑Sat Dec 18, 2021 11:21 am Any updates here, Huck?

[user not found] wrote: ↑Sat Dec 18, 2021 11:21 am Any updates here, Huck?

Sorry. I haven't worked on it in a couple months. I was pre-occupied with the flooded basement, which put me in a depressive state for a while since we were living at my mom's from the beginning of October through Thanksgiving, and I was basically fighting battles from all angles with State Farm, Servpro, and the drywall contractors. On top of that, multiple construction projects at work have been consuming my time, plus all of the transitions and other nonsense that leadership decided to implement at the end of the year. I wish the 944 hasn't taken a backseat, but I just haven't been in the right mindset to get into it. I'm hoping I will be able to get working on the exhaust shortly, but I need to deal with the El Camino first because the gas tank failed the pressure test at the DMV yet again, so it won't pass inspection.

[user not found] wrote: ↑Thu Dec 23, 2021 6:21 pm

Huckleberry wrote: ↑Thu Dec 23, 2021 6:12 pm

Sorry. I haven't worked on it in a couple months. I was pre-occupied with the flooded basement, which put me in a depressive state for a while since we were living at my mom's from the beginning of October through Thanksgiving, and I was basically fighting battles from all angles with State Farm, Servpro, and the drywall contractors. On top of that, multiple construction projects at work have been consuming my time, plus all of the transitions and other nonsense that leadership decided to implement at the end of the year. I wish the 944 hasn't taken a backseat, but I just haven't been in the right mindset to get into it. I'm hoping I will be able to get working on the exhaust shortly, but I need to deal with the El Camino first because the gas tank failed the pressure test at the DMV yet again, so it won't pass inspection.

No pressure amigo - that's a tall stack of to deal with.

I was just curious since things had been rather quiet on the 944 front.

Yeah, I'm finally coming out on the other end of it. Most of the projects should be finishing up next week, and I'm hoping I can take a breath come mid-January. I literally just ordered a new gas tank from Tanks, Inc since I'm so tired of this Spectra tank giving me problems. I had the same pressurizing issue two years ago and it has always sucked to fill up at the pump. So, it is time to say "adios" to this tank.

Huckleberry wrote: ↑Thu Dec 23, 2021 6:37 pm

[user not found] wrote: ↑Thu Dec 23, 2021 6:21 pm


No pressure amigo - that's a tall stack of to deal with.

I was just curious since things had been rather quiet on the 944 front.

Yeah, I'm finally coming out on the other end of it. Most of the projects should be finishing up next week, and I'm hoping I can take a breath come mid-January. I literally just ordered a new gas tank from Tanks, Inc since I'm so tired of this Spectra tank giving me problems. I had the same pressurizing issue two years ago and it has always sucked to fill up at the pump. So, it is time to say "adios" to this tank.

What is it supposed to be doing that it is not?

Desertbreh wrote: ↑Fri Dec 24, 2021 12:33 am

Huckleberry wrote: ↑Thu Dec 23, 2021 6:37 pm

Yeah, I'm finally coming out on the other end of it. Most of the projects should be finishing up next week, and I'm hoping I can take a breath come mid-January. I literally just ordered a new gas tank from Tanks, Inc since I'm so tired of this Spectra tank giving me problems. I had the same pressurizing issue two years ago and it has always sucked to fill up at the pump. So, it is time to say "adios" to this tank.

What is it supposed to be doing that it is not?

When going through inspection at the DMV, they pressurize it to 18 psi and it needs to hold that pressure for something like 30-60 seconds. Two years ago, the tank wouldn't do it and I had to drop it and replace the o-ring. This time, it somehow stopped sealing again, and combined with the fact that it has never been easy to refuel (the nozzle constantly clicks off after a couple seconds or gas will shoot out of the filler neck), I've decided I've had enough and am just going to replace the entire thing. The tanks from Tanks, Inc are very nice pieces for the money.

Huckleberry wrote: ↑Fri Dec 24, 2021 4:05 pm

Desertbreh wrote: ↑Fri Dec 24, 2021 12:33 am

What is it supposed to be doing that it is not?

When going through inspection at the DMV, they pressurize it to 18 psi and it needs to hold that pressure for something like 30-60 seconds. Two years ago, the tank wouldn't do it and I had to drop it and replace the o-ring. This time, it somehow stopped sealing again, and combined with the fact that it has never been easy to refuel (the nozzle constantly clicks off after a couple seconds or gas will shoot out of the filler neck), I've decided I've had enough and am just going to replace the entire thing. The tanks from Tanks, Inc are very nice pieces for the money.

This makes California seem like Wyoming.

Desertbreh wrote: ↑Fri Dec 24, 2021 10:13 pm

Huckleberry wrote: ↑Fri Dec 24, 2021 4:05 pm

When going through inspection at the DMV, they pressurize it to 18 psi and it needs to hold that pressure for something like 30-60 seconds. Two years ago, the tank wouldn't do it and I had to drop it and replace the o-ring. This time, it somehow stopped sealing again, and combined with the fact that it has never been easy to refuel (the nozzle constantly clicks off after a couple seconds or gas will shoot out of the filler neck), I've decided I've had enough and am just going to replace the entire thing. The tanks from Tanks, Inc are very nice pieces for the money.

This makes California seem like Wyoming.

It's so dumb since it only applies to vehicles from like 1975 to 1995. Before doesn't get tested and after just gets plugged into the OBII port.

It could be interesting getting the 944 through because it will need to pass an emissions test at idle and at 2000 RPM.

Small update: I decided to order some General G-Max RS tires to replace the 10 year-old Kumhos on the wheels. A friend of a friend gets wholesale discounting from Tire Rack, so I bought them through him. As I have done before, I took the wheels and tires loose to the Firestone that is right down the road from me. The guy behind the counter asked me what vehicle they were for, and once I said "1989 Porsche," he threw up his hands and said, "Nope. Not touching them." When I asked why, he went on about how it is an exotic and if he damages a wheel, he has to buy a new one. I told him the wheels already had curb rash and it was a thousand dollar car, and he just replied with, "I don't care. I'm not touching them."

So, I told him he was being fucking dumb and left.

[user not found] wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 12:56 pm

Huckleberry wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 12:52 pm Small update: I decided to order some General G-Max RS tires to replace the 10 year-old Kumhos on the wheels. A friend of a friend gets wholesale discounting from Tire Rack, so I bought them through him. As I have done before, I took the wheels and tires loose to the Firestone that is right down the road from me. The guy behind the counter asked me what vehicle they were for, and once I said "1989 Porsche," he threw up his hands and said, "Nope. Not touching them." When I asked why, he went on about how it is an exotic and if he damages a wheel, he has to buy a new one. I told him the wheels already had curb rash and it was a thousand dollar car, and he just replied with, "I don't care. I'm not touching them."

So, I told him he was being fucking dumb and left.

I mean, he's probably dealt with some real assholes.

Oh well, his loss. Literally a "take my money" moment.

Pretty He must have really gotten his ass chewed by some with a Porsche at some point.

Well, things have finally settled down enough to where I could get back into the groove of things.


Right before leaving for Martha's Vineyard, I got the transaxle bolted back into place. The bellhousing adapter had actually pushed the entire assembly back, necessitating the use of a hammer on the spare tire well to get the needed clearance. The second issue was that the trans mount itself was no longer lining up. What I wound up needing to do is take the stock hanger and have a 1/4" milled off the mounting ears.




Once that was done, the transaxle bolted right up.


Just to give you an idea on how much it was moved back, that aluminum piece is supposed to bolt to the front of the yellow mount.

Once I got the transaxle and axles in, I decided to tackle the exhaust. I worked on the driver's side first by mocking up the down pipe from the collector.



The pipe was a little close to the frame, and rather close to the power steering lines, so I addressed those issues with some thermal wrap and a hammer.




The driver's side pipe is also where I planned on locating the O2 sensor. So, I made sure to test fit that for clearance.


Once clearance was verified, it was time to get started on the rest of the exhaust. The overall plan was to do 2.5" pipes off the headers and merge them into a single 3" exhaust out the back. After the Y pipe will be the Magnaflow catalytic converter followed by a 5" round muffler and then a Magnaflow 11219 muffler right before the exhaust tip. I had some v-bands for the down pipes and a break between the first muffler and the tail pipe, and some flex joints for the down pipes. After getting all of the needed piping delivered, I got the driver's side mocked up.

As an aside, blue painter's tape is excellent for mocking up butt connections, especially if you need to rotate at the joint any.

And that's where the car sat for a while. I went to Martha's Vineyard and came home to a flooded basement. On top of that, work was insane with the cafeteria construction project falling behind schedule due to supply issues, and it just wasn't a great time for me. Though, I did get some nice shots while on vacation.






And even got to meet Jeffrey Vorhees, who played Alex Kintner in Jaws,

Glad this project is being resumed.

The one thing I found to be rather annoying was trying to get straight cuts with an angle grinder and a sawzall. It's rather time consuming and the amount of sparks and noise isn't ideal. So, I decided to splurge and get an Evosaw380 from Evolution. It is a cold cut chop saw, which means no sparks and the metal is cool to the touch after cutting. The thing is tits and made the rest of the exhaust work so much easier.


The factory hangers had utilized a u-bolt around the torque tube. Unfortunately, one of the stock u-bolts had broken when I was undoing the nuts. So, I bought a 3.5" u-bolt clamp and welded the factory mount to it.


I mocked up the passenger side down pipe, which was tricky due to the starter and the oil drain plug. I tried routing it so that it went above the drain plug, but I think I may just have to pull that pipe for oil changes, or at least swing it out of the way, which isn't a big deal thanks to the v-band. Once the passenger side was set in, I realized that the driver's side could tuck up a bit better, so I went back later before final welding and addressed that.




With both pipes mocked up, I moved to the rear of the car, using two 45 degree bends to get the exhaust to line up with the factory exit.


Then I just needed to mock up the muffler and exhaust tip. For the life of me, I can't remember where I had ordered the exhaust tip from. It's actually a really nice piece and I wish I had bookmarked the site so I could go back and see their other offerings. I'm a sucker for double wall, slant cut tips. This one even has a rolled edge to boot.



The factory mounts actually had bolted to the muffler. Before selling the stock exhaust, I took the mounts. I simply hung them in place and then used some brackets I had laying around to act as mounting ears.


And once everything was mocked up, I welded it all together.









And yes, that is another LT1 in the back, framed out by the furniture dolly. Actually, it is the 4.3L baby LT1 that has been hanging around for over a decade. And the GTO's bumper is missing because the paint started to split and so it is getting redone.

And that's it for right now. I currently am having an 1/8" spacer made for the clutch slave, which means I get to pull this all back apart to install that. It hopefully won't be too big of a deal and if all goes well, I can get it done while waiting for the exhaust downpipes to come back from being ceramic coated.

Also, for anyone who wants to weld, 3M makes N95 masks specifically for welding. I would advise getting them.

wap wrote: ↑Sun Jan 23, 2022 9:42 pm
Glad this project is being resumed.

As am I. It's the first time in a while I have felt accomplished.

Those (just the) tips are

I am amused by the consistent use of a hammer to solve problems. Also that tip is

Glad to see this project pick back up

adoob wrote: ↑Sun Jan 23, 2022 10:42 pm I am amused by the consistent use of a hammer to solve problems. Also that tip is

Glad to see this project pick back up

Some times, it is the best tool for the job.

I really wish I could remember where I had ordered the tip from.

:thankyou: for keeping it a single exit exhaust. And that tip looks damned near OEM. Outstanding work as usual.

Still on the baby LT1. I've always been intrigued by them.

Huckleberry wrote: ↑Mon Jan 24, 2022 8:15 am

adoob wrote: ↑Sun Jan 23, 2022 10:42 pm I am amused by the consistent use of a hammer to solve problems. Also that tip is

Glad to see this project pick back up

Some times, it is the best tool for the job.

I really wish I could remember where I had ordered the tip from.

I support the single tip as homage to the original as well as visual stealth (the audio stealth is gonna be tough). That said, what is the unit the two downpipes feed into with the single exit? And if errthang is the same diameter isn't that a restriction problem?

Detroit wrote: ↑Mon Jan 24, 2022 10:54 am :thankyou: for keeping it a single exit exhaust. And that tip looks damned near OEM. Outstanding work as usual.

Still on the baby LT1. I've always been intrigued by them.

I searched far and wide to find something that bore some resemblance of the factory tip and had a 3" inlet. It's probably why I can't remember or find the website now, because I went down the Google rabbit hole in my search.

I'll work on the baby LT1 soon enough. I tend to start building plans in my head well before I actually do anything. I'm really curious what I can do with those factory iron heads, which I want to keep because they are unique to the L99.